Fathers Stars
by The Cat Isis
Summary: Summary: How Salvation should have ended. This was inspired by a song I have listed at the end of the fic. This was written after having a very bad day and listening to somewhat sad music. Thanks to http:darknesshaunts. for the quick beta job!


Title: Fathers Stars

Author: The Cat Isis

Paring: None

Genre: Gen

Warning: Character Death

Summary: How Salvation should have ended. This was inspired by a song I have listed at the end of the fic. This was written after having a very bad day and listening to somewhat sad music. Thanks to http/darknesshaunts. for the quick beta job!

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural, or the characters. Nor do I own the song Fathers Stars.

Notes: Spoiler through Salvation.

Fathers Stars 

John knew that no mater what he told his sons, when it came right down to it, he wouldn't survive the final fight. Truth was, he didn't really want to. He'd spent 22 years hunting this creature, and the whole time, all he could think of was how much he missed Mary. All he wanted was to die killing the thing that had taken his Mary from him. He knew his boys would mourn him, but they were both strong enough to survive without him. John also knew that his time was rapidly ending. He knew that soon he would fight the demon and it would all end. The clock had started ticking down when he had found out it had killed Sam's girlfriend. Since then, he could hear it in the background, no matter what. Tick. Tick. Tick. It was always there. The closer he came to the demon and his ultimate fight, the slower it got.

When John found out that Elkins had the Colt, he had been furious. All that time wasted, when he could have used that Colt to put an end to the demon who killed his Mary. He knew the safest thing to do was send his sons to clear out the Vampire's nest while he went after the Colt. Not because it was safer for him to take on the vampires alone, but because he knew that if his sons were there when he got the Colt, they would try to follow him when he left. Maybe not Dean, but Sam would, definitely. Although with Dean's newfound confidence, perhaps he would follow and not do as he had been told. John wasn't surprised when his sons showed up to save him. At first he still had plans on leaving them behind. But the looks on their faces made him think twice. For some reason, he decided to let them join him in his final fight. Perhaps they would handle his death better if they could see it was what he needed.

Salvation Iowa, John knew for a fact that this was it. The ticking had slowed, the demon was here. Sam's visions confirmed it, though he still couldn't believe his sons had not told him about the visions. The three of them waited outside the house, waiting for the demon to appear. No one spoke, John held the Colt in his hands, getting used to the feel of it. Sam knew before the rest of them when it was there. As one they raced for the front door. The lights inside were flickering and the wind had picked up. Dean made short work of the locked front door. As John moved towards the stairs a bat-wielding husband confronted him. Dean stepped in to deal with him. John moved towards the stairs, with Sam right behind him. He heard the husband call out to get the baby, then Sam yelled for her not to go into the nursery, and then they heard a scream. As they reached the top step, John saw the demon, by the crib. He fired once, and the demon disappeared. Sam grabbed the mother, while Dean grabbed the baby. John turned to follow his sons, and then paused. He tilted his head to one side, trying to figure out what it was he heard that made him stop.

Tick.

He heard the demon laughing. As he turned, flames erupted from the crib. The demon re-appeared beside it, eyes glowing, laughing at him. John took aim at the demon a second time, expecting it to disappear. When it didn't, he fired.

Tick.

Flames were now engulfing the whole room, heat exploding all around John. He watched the demon disappear a second time, only to re-appear in the same spot yet again. This time it was John who laughed. He took aim and fired.

Tick.

He fired one last time, the last bullet flying through the air and striking the demon as it appeared for the last time. Flames erupted from the bullet hole while the demon howled. John began coughing, and sank to his knees, watching as the demon writhed as the flames consumed its body. John watched until he knew it was gone, knew there was nothing left, then lie on the floor and let himself succumb to the smoke.

Tic…

His last thought was that he would finally get to see his Mary again.

A week later, John knew his boys would be ok. Sam and Dean stood looking at a freshly dug grave. They had buried what few remains had been found in the house in a grave next to Mary. Buried with John's remains had been what was left of the Colt. The boys had gone through some rough days at first. Dean had really beaten himself up at not having realized that John hadn't followed. Dean had also expected Sam to leave him. They had argued briefly about that, but Sam knew he couldn't leave his brother now. Dean could never give up hunting, and with Sam's visions and everything he knew, he doubted he would ever get a normal life. So John watched as his sons said their final good-bye's to John and Mary, then turned and headed back to the Impala. John turned when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He smiled at Mary, then turned and followed her into the stars, so that they could always watch over their boys together.

Fathers Stars  
By John Hiatt

_Friends of mine they don't hear_

_Clocks ticking all around their ears_

_They don't expect a thing_

_Bridges moving while the river sings_

_Long lost love_

_Where do we go from here_

_Farther stars_

_Different atmospheres_

_The river sings us back from the time_

_Drawn to heaven with a voice so fine_

_Final joys final cries_

_On and off like starlight in her eyes_

_Long lost love_

_Where do we go from here_

_Farther stars_

_Different atmospheres_

_You know your poetry kept me up all night_

_Like you I didn't have the heart to die_

_Still so many things left to say_

_Long lost love_

_Where do we go from here_

_Death's the truth and death's a lie_

_Love is your only alibis_

_Mary you'll forget this soon_

_Where we were and when we sang this tune_

_Long lost love_

_Where do we go from here_

_Farther stars_

_Different atmospheres _

_Long lost love_


End file.
